Are there any other 10 Meter fans on this site besides me? 10 was always my favorite band to work.

Back when I first got into HAM radio, (21 years ago) my very first HF rig was a President McKinley 40 Channel mobile AM/SSB CB radio that I modified and converted to run QRP on 10. I had Novice privileges on USB from 28.300-28.495, and you could always find me around 28.450. I worked the world on 10 Watts PEP. I also used this rig several years as Net Control for the CKARC Monday night 10 Meter net in Salina Kansas. I regularly had between 20 and 30 local check-ins, and everyone agreed that my audio was outstanding.

I still love 10 when it is open, and lately, it has been WIDE open.

As many of you know, I am a broadcast engineer, so I am a big fan of AM. I love the sound of a good quality hi-fidelity AM transmission, and 10 is a great place for that. These days, you can find me between 29.00 and 29.04 in AM mode. In the last few weeks, I have worked stations on both coasts of the US, Canada, Mexico, Japan, France, and Great Britain, all on AM, and all with just 7.5 Watts carrier power… about 22 Watts PEP… on an old Ranger 2900 with a Turner RK-70 Microphone into a 17 foot (half-wave) end fed aluminum vertical.

My current “Project” rig is an old Johnson Messenger 250 50th Anniversary Edition CB Base station with a Johnson-branded Turner +3 desk microphone that I picked up on eBay for $20. This will be a GREAT sounding QRP-AM 10 Meter rig when I am done with it.

Do you have privileges above 28.500? Join me on 10 AM. You might have to build your own rig however… maybe convert an old CB, or dig out and restore a classic Heathkit DX series, Multi-Elmac, Johnson Viking, or Collins transmitter. In other words, you can't be just an “appliance operator” on AM. You need to get your fingers dirty, and learn something in the process.